PCToday

Presidential Student Ambassador Lauryn A. Stauffer is your effusive and illuminating guide to Pennsylvania College of Technology in a newly launched video produced by Public Relations & Marketing. Loaded with fresh footage of renovated labs and popular campus hang spots, the comprehensive tour takes you through main campus, down the road to the Lumley Aviation Center and over the mountain to the Schneebeli Earth Science Center.

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Capitol Eatery transformed into a “movie set” of sorts this week when a production crew filmed a video for Mrs. T’s Pierogies in the Dauphin Hall dining unit. In addition to utilizing one of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s inspiring spaces, four students were cast as “actors” for the marketing piece.

“Penn College has always been a wonderful customer and partner with Mrs. T’s. We’re excited for this opportunity for the campus to host our college and university marketing video campaign,” said Victoria DeHart, Mrs. T’s regional sales manager for eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and the mid-Atlantic, and national college and university specialist. “The video will be shared with food service directors and executive chefs at colleges and universities throughout the country to showcase the benefits of Mrs. T’s pierogies.”

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Pennsylvania College of Technology is partnering with Storbeck Search, an executive search firm specializing in leadership hiring for colleges and universities, to conduct a national search to replace retiring President Davie Jane Gilmour.

Storbeck Search, based in Media, Pennsylvania, is part of Diversified Search Group. In recent years, the firm has assisted with similar searches for multiple Penn State campuses, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, Franklin & Marshall College, Susquehanna University and Swarthmore College, among others.

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A celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, for Chef Judith P. Shimp, a former associate professor of hospitality management and culinary arts, who died July 27 in Philadelphia’s Albert Einstein Medical Center at the age of 67. Shimp was a member of the college faculty from September 1984 until her retirement in June 2011. The service, preceded by an hourlong visitation, will be at Montoursville Presbyterian Church, 900 Elm St., Montoursville. A full obituary can be found on the website of the Spitler Funeral Home, which is handling arrangements.

Lockheed Martin Corp. has awarded vocational scholarships of $6,600 each to nine Pennsylvania College of Technology students.

The students are among 150 to receive financial assistance toward their pursuit of associate degrees, credit-bearing certificates or industry-recognized credentials in cutting-edge technology and advanced manufacturing fields. Penn College had the second-highest number of awardees in the Lockheed Martin Vocational Training Scholarship program, a first of its kind within the aerospace and defense industries.

“I was pleased to see Lockheed Martin’s awarding of scholarships to so many Penn College students,” said Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies. “This recognizes the critical role the college plays in bolstering America’s skilled technical workforce, and the focus our students have on building the future.”

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This summer, hundreds of visitors took advantage of an outstanding display of fiber-based artwork at The Gallery at Penn College. From June 1 through July 22, “Textiles in Translation” inspired a range of engagement and interaction, in keeping with the gallery’s goal of promoting art appreciation and serving as a cultural asset to the community.

An artists’ tour closed the exhibition and featured 18 artists sharing insights into their works and creative processes.

“Over 70 people enjoyed the opportunity to meet the artists, ask questions, and learn more about the artists and the work on display during the artists’ tour last week,” said Penny Griffin Lutz, gallery director. “I am so thankful to the 18 artists who were able to attend the event and speak about their work. This was the perfect end to this spectacular exhibition.”

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Pennsylvania College of Technology will hold a Summer 2021 Commencement ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 7, for the more than 200 students who have petitioned to graduate.

The in-person ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the Community Arts Center. The event is open to students who are registered to participate and ticketed guests. Unvaccinated individuals must wear face masks. The event will be livestreamed.

The student speaker for the ceremony will be Larcynina De Guzman Bitner, of Mill Hall, who will be awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in physician assistant. Bitner, a Dean’s List student, is originally from the Philippines, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a Doctor of Medicine degree and completed a medical internship.

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Students in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s physical therapist assistant major put their skills to use by providing video activities for Camp Victory, known as “a special camp for special kids.”

The camp, in Millville, was built for children with diverse needs – those living with chronic health problems, physical or mental disabilities or the aftermath of catastrophic illness.

In a typical summer, the facility is busy hosting camps for a variety of partner groups. This year, those camps are being held virtually.

“Our goal is to bring a little bit of camp fun to the campers at home,” explained Camp Victory Director Kate Stepnick, a 2007 graduate of the college’s bachelor’s degree in human services and restorative justice, then known as applied human services. “We know they are missing camp, and this gives them a way to participate in camp activities even from far away.”

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“Because tomorrow begins today,” Penn College campuses welcomed scores of high school students for six more Pre-College Programs in recent days. (A variety of programs focused on more of the college’s academic majors were held in June.) The past week’s schedule included three new summer offerings – Diesel Truck & Heavy Equipment, Fundamentals of Emergency Response, and Thingamajig Fabricators – joining returning favorites Automotive Restoration; Design, Build & Grow Landscape & Horticulture; and Graphic Design Summer Studio. All told, the college hosted 211 high schoolers for two sessions of overnight camps this season and 40 middle schoolers during two weeks of My Tomorrow day camps.

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Suzanne Mayberry wants to connect her high school students with manufacturing. Thanks to Pennsylvania College of Technology, she has more tools to accomplish that goal.

Penn College recently hosted a Manufacturing Externship Camp for Mayberry and 16 other secondary school teachers and guidance counselors throughout the state. Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, the weeklong educational experience used tours, presentations and hands-on activities to expose the nontechnical educators to the realities of modern manufacturing and the sector’s rewarding career opportunities.

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Barbara Fisher Di Marco has been appointed interim assistant dean of arts and sciences at Pennsylvania College of Technology, effective July 26.

Di Marco most recently served as an assistant professor and co-department head of mathematics at the college. She was honored with an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2020.

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Barbara Fisher Di Marco’s interim administrative appointment in the School of Business, Arts & Sciences left a faculty vacancy on the Presidential Search Committee established with Davie Jane Gilmour’s announcement that she will retire June 30, 2022. John F. Chappo, assistant professor of history/history of technology, will succeed Di Marco on that committee, it was announced Monday.

An article in the July/August issue of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater features a field trip taken by Rob Cooley’s Outdoor Recreation as a Therapeutic Tool course during the spring semester. The class traveled to nearby Rose Valley Lake, accompanied by Lycoming College’s director of outdoor learning and education, for an enjoyable and insightful day of kayaking. Students making the trip were Colin G. Browne Jr., Cody R. Englehart, Brad S. Grenoble, Payge C. Hess, Kai K. Marshall, Krystle J. Richardson, Nicole M. Smulligan and Devon M. Wasson. Grenoble is an emergency management technology major; the others are enrolled in human services and restorative justice. The magazine piece was facilitated by Douglas M. Hess, manager of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s Benner Spring State Fish Hatchery in Centre County (and Payge Hess’ father). Included are a number of quotes about the day’s positive effects on members of the group, from enjoyment of local wildlife to the accent on their chosen field – such as this from Wasson: “There is something about just being on the water that is so calming to me and brings me that instant stress relief that everyone needs.”

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Expanding a 50-plus year tradition in providing hands-on education that prepares students for a variety of careers in direct patient care, Pennsylvania College of Technology has added several options for those who wish to work in other high-demand health care-related roles.

A bachelor’s degree in health science (introduced in Fall 2020) and an associate degree in allied health (launching in Fall 2021) deliver a science-rich education, while a new business administration: health care management specialization is available beginning Fall 2021 and provides a strong business core. All prepare students for essential careers in nondirect patient care.

Such roles are vital to the health care industry. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projections for 2019-29 indicate that health care support occupations are among those expected to grow markedly faster than average.

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An entrepreneurial alumnus – a titan of the packaging industry who generously endowed the Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology – returned to campus Wednesday to share his insight and inspiration during a pair of afternoon presentations in College Avenue Labs.

Ward passionately spoke to 17 high school teachers and counselors attending Teacher Externship Camp, a National Science Foundation-funded activity that provides participants with a real-world view of the advanced manufacturing field. He also met with young men and women in the Thingamajig Fabricators pre-college program, co-sponsored by the Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajig Foundation and PMMI, which introduces students to the breadth of manufacturing from brainstorming an idea to selling an end product.

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